I assume you're joking? Every city in the country has a planning commission, and that's what they're for: to give the public some oversight over things that affect the community. You aren't suggesting that opening a gigantic store has no effect on anyone except the property owner, are you?

I don't know the process that goes on in most major cities, but my understanding is that there are boards who zone areas and regulate the issuance of licenses. But if an area is zoned for that type of commerce, the idea that which grocery stores get to operate should be subject to mass opinion is just strange to me.

With local unemployment in the double digits and median income around $20K, I am sure that the voters may rue their decision when Walmart or some other store opens a few miles away somewhere else, giving the tax revenue to someone else.

Maybe a strip club or liquor store will go there since that what usually goes in poor areas, buy as long as they hire union, it will be okay.

Grocery and retail stores are, after all, not generally pollution sources of any significance.

And if we're going to allow any impact to require a public hearing, well, I wish Mr. Drum the best of luck the next time he wishes to repaint his house. His neighbors, after all, might veto the color he wants.

I've always had the opinion that cities should require Wal-Mart to either sell the old store or destroy it within X number of years after a new store is built to serve the same community.

Beyond that, California is as California does.

Also, FYI, a town in upstate south carolina recently fought to prevent the opening of a Wal-Mart because of the fear of what it would do to local businesses and the location factor. It's still in the pipeline.

This attitude makes it hard to listen to whining about gas prices when they won't approve refineries or pipelines.

I actually wasn't especially defending Inglewood's wisdom in keeping Wal-Mart out, but I was defending their right to do it. For one thing, they have legitimate concerns about such things as traffic and other externalities. Second, for any project of any size there's really no such thing as just looking at the zoning and then building away. Large projects always request lots of variances from zoning and building regulations, and there's a considerable amount of negotiation that goes on. It's not quite as simple as it seems.

That said, I have little doubt that the real reason for keeping Wal-Mart out was heavily labor driven. It's a different argument whether that's legitimate or not.

OTOH, that's where the Forum is located, and they cope with the traffic from that. (This used to be where all the big rock concerts were, in the dark days before the Staples Center was built.)

I sympathize with you East Coasters on the paint issue, but wonder what you're supposed to do if a paint manufacturer goes out of business?--unless they gave you a Pantone color or something like that to use as a guide. When my friend the science professor visits Los Angeles we walk around and look at houses and he tells me people don't use paint very creatively in Maryland--that they either stick to very boring shades or go wild and give their houses that cutesy gingerbread look that's worse.

In CA, ANYTHING that requires planning approval is subject to an environmental review and public comments. (Call me crazy, but I think that this is a good thing.)

I think that part of the problem is that you are confusing environmental review with things like Environmental Impact Reports, and being subject to public hearings with actual long drawn out public hearings.

Environmental reviews do stuff like determine how much traffic a project will generate and the extent of the road improvements needed throughout the city as a result. If certain toxic substances are used, significant portions of natural habitat will be destroyed, or (as Kevin Drum points out) significant variances to normal codes and regulations are requested, an Environmental Impact Report is also required.

Every planning application the size of a grocery store requires mailings for public comment, if enough people write back saying they hate the idea, or if an EIR is required, it goes to public hearing.

Something as large and controversial as a Walmart Supercenter would likely require both an EIR and a public hearing, but a new Albertson's probably would not.

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